Retractable spud support



June 1944- H. M. STUELAND RETRACTABLE SPUD SUPPORT Filed Feb 25, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I INVENTOR HAROLD SWELAND Patented June 6, 1944 RE AC BLE SPUD sce ter Harold M. Stueland,-Eas t Mo1ine, 111., assign-o1: to- Deere & Company, Moline, 111., 'acorporationof Illinois a Application Febru ry 25, 1943, serialfn 477,179 -10 Claims. 1. .212-2s The present invention relates generally to re} tractabl supports and more particularly to supp r of the e mplo ed/1n eqn ie e ith pq l .ho s'i wh ehthe e d a pl ed o ram we s which eterha ee the mebile fl m w a cul r reier neete d a h b e h s s r tractors A, h is .Qi t e ho n in. Patent No, 2,298,199, granted Qctober 6, 1942, to Court and stueland, and the present invention is n the na u e e nr mpr ment o e v es n c ime in sa a ent With the structure shown in the above patent, it s n c s ary t e ne t e sand o the hoist boom and raise the spud by lifting the boom, whenever it is necessary to movethe hoist from e opera in ati oanet e The p incip l object of the present invention relates tothe pro: vision of a spud which is convenientlycontrolled om th p atorfs sta i n, but which requires.

no connection to the hoistboom or othentime consuming operation, when it is desired to move the hoist to another location. 7

, According to the present invention, the spud is in the form of a ground engageable shoe having a runner which is adapted to slide along the surface of the ground and is provided with a reversible clutching means suchlas areversible ratchet device, under. convenient control of the Op rator, which can be, set tov permit downward movement of the spud while preventing upwardmovement of the, spud, ;or vice versa. Whenthe ratchet mechanismois set so, that the spud is p mitted to move downwardly. but restrained against upward movement, the spud acts as a support and carries the greater part of the load ofthe hoist directly upon the ground, andin soft groundxthe ratchet mechanism permits the spud to: work downwardly as the ground yields, there by maintaininglthe load supporting function of the spud; When the ratchet mechanism isreversed, the hoist can be readily moved from one location to another, the ground engageable shoe merely sliding along the ground, but whenever the shoe encounters araised spot in the ground,

it is raised upwardly but is prevented from" dropping again bythe ratchet mechanism," Thus,

it is only necessary for the operator to reverse the' ratchet device, after which no further attention is necessary when transporting the'hoist from one plac to another, a the unevenness of the ground itself causes the 'spud'to be jacked into a raised position. Then, when the new operating location is reached, the operator only needs'to' once mor reverse the ratchet device anq the z ing a section p d t ee e'the ereu dend, automati a ieeks sel tq lea sup or in re e iente t e heist Another object of my inventionrelates to the provision of means for manually raising the spud to fiill porte s iea.eembi ieel wit mean fordockin'g the boom aga' t lateral swinging movement during transport. I These and other objects and advantages oi my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following description, in which reference is had tothe drawings appended hereto, in semen".

Figure 1' is a fragmentaiy s ld elllational new of aport'ablehoist mounted'on' a tractor, the

clearly shcwtn details army invention;

fFigure 2 is a'fragmentary' rear elevational View, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing the details of construction of t ret actable spuds'u'pp'ort;

support in a ret ractedposition'," with a portion broken away to 's'h'w the details of the ratchet m h i t,

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevational View Show through the ratchet mechanism; ule.

Figure 5 a fragmentary sectional View taken along a lined- 5 of Figure'2.

Referring now to'the' drawings, the portable as hoist offthis embodiment "comprises a tractor in- 35 axles 13 carried'on"tractionwheels l4, and a dicated generally by 'reference'numeral' l 0, which includes alongitudinally extending body! I havinga transversely disposed differential and axle housing; -l2',within which are journaled drive detachable hoist limounted-thereon. I

1 The detachable hoist ,1 5 comprises a frame- Wb'rk l iincludingtsu I "ortingfinemhers" l1 fix ed to 'a bracketf 113, which s'senuredby studs 19 to thea-ppropriate implement supporting bosses 20 4, he rear iside of' the axleihous'ing' 1:2, "The hoist'includesa mast 21, which is rigidly suped en the f am 'T" a" subs a ia tical position andfisb'raced by" means .of suitable braces 2Zjextending downwardly and forwardly and are secured at their forward ends Joy suitable studs 23 enjgagingthe conventional implement snpportingibosses 2ft on the forward .side of the axlehousing 12. The tractor is proy'de, [a jconventional ke 'o jshatt/Zfi, ch" drives the hoist hr'ongh asuitable'chain' and sprocket and nrouehafcjentral drive haft a onjlielhoist ,rmme; .-|s.

5 near wheel of .tlieTtracto'r being 'reinov'd'to more Figure 3is a rear" elevational view showing the cal standard 30 of a retractablespud support, which istelescopically disposed within the tubu-p lar mast 2|, and is'vertically slidable therein. The ground engageable shoe 3| is pivotally con means of a transversely disposed -pivotbolt 32 i locations on the sector, corresponding to the raised and lowered positions of the hand lever 61. The latter is provided with a latch device 1| adapted to engage the two notches to retain the lever 61 in either of the two positions. In Figure l, the lever is set in the lowered position, in which the ratchet handle 5| is maintained in a. lower position wherein, the downwardly extending dog 48 is presented in engagement with the rack 49. This is the normal operating position of the spud support, in which the nected to the lower end of the standard by providing for fore and aft tiltingmovement 0t the shoe 3| relative to the standard fifl-aboutfthe transverse axis of the bolt 32. A pair of pins 33 are inserted through the shoe 3|, which includes a pair of laterally spaced vertically disposed supporting webs 34. A runner 35 is secured as by welding to the bottoms of the webs and is turned-up-at the front and rear ends to facili tate sliding along the'surface oi theground. Thepins engage e front and rear sides of the the extent of movement The retractable spud is retained against 'up-' ward or downward movement relative to the mast 2| by means of ratchet mechanism, indicated generally by reference numeral 40, which will be described in detail. Theratchetmechanism 40 has a pawl member 4| which is pivotally mounted by means of a bolt in a housing 43 fixed to a transverse angle member 44, the latter being supported on the'rearof the hoistfraine IS." The housing 43 comprises'a flat'p'lat'e member 45, serving as one wall, ands, curved plate 46 serving as standard 30 is substantiallyrectangular but has a curved portion of the plate 46, and isthe'refore slidable vertically but is prevented from rotating about'its vertioalaxis relative to the housing 43'. "The pawl member'4l includes a pair of oppositely extending upper and lower dogs 41, 48, 're'-' spectively, which canbe engaged selectively with a rack 49 extendingverti cally' along the, side of handle, and the recess 52 is somewhatlarger: than theihandle, permitting the same to rockto alim ite'd "extent'vertic'ally about the axisfofthe pin 53. "Th'e handle'5l is retained in a substantially central position within the recess 52 by means of a pair of compression springs 54, 55 above and below the handle 5| respectively. The springs 51, respectively, formed in the shank of the pawl'member 4|. The springs 54, bear upon theupp'er a'n'df lower'sides of th'e'handle 5| and react againstcotter pins 58, which are inserted transverselythrou'gh suitable holes 59 in the ends: of the tubular portions 56, 51. i "The handle is connected by'means of a link andiclev1s 66 (see'Figure I) tofa' manuallt op erated lever'iil, which isfpivotally mounted on. a bolt |i8;supported on a sector'68, whichis'fixed' to the diagonal .brace 22. The sector 5 9 is provided 'witha' pair of notches I0 in at least two standard 30', respectively, when the shoe is tilted in opposite directions about the bolt 32, to' limit theside' and rear walls-thereof and welded to the plate '45 as best indic'ated'in Figure 5. The

curved side which fits slidably 'within "the I tion, the handle 5| is raised to the position shown dog 48 prevents upward movement of the standard 30, but permits downward movement of the [as the lwi to'f the spud tends to carry the standard 30' downwardly. As the dog 48 swings the pawl memberv 4| in a clockwise direction as viewe'd'in Figure 2, the lower spring 55 is com- :pressed, exerting a force tending to return the dog 48 to engagement with the next higher tooth of therack 49.

When the leverBl is swung to its upper posiin Figures 3 and 4; in whichthe upper dog 41 is presented'in' contact with-the teeth of the rack 49. 1 This is the position in which the mechanism spudto take a greater portion of the load on the next loading of the hoist. I In thismannen-when is set for purposes oftranspo'rt, wherein the dog 41 prevents downward movement of the stand-; ard 30 but permits upward movement, causing the dog 41 to slide over the end of'the-rack tooth,

swinging the pawl member 4| in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4, and thus compressing the upper-spring 54', 'which thereafter forces'the dog 41 intoaposition beneath the adjacent tooth. y i

During operation of the hoist, the lever is set in its lower position-as' shown in .Figure '1, in

which tl'ie 'shoe 3| rests upon the ground. When load is imposed upon'the hoist, the weight thereof tends to force theshoe downwardly and if the ground is slightly-soft,'the shoe will settle into the soil to some extent, since the pneumatic tires of the tractor-wheels [4 are compressed to permit such downward movement. When the load is removed from the hoist, the tractor tires tend to raise theiramework of the hoist slightly', but the spud :remains in ground engaging position, re-" sulting man upward movement of the frame of thehoist relative to the spud. This causes the lower dog 48 to slide over the end of thetoo'th' immediately thereabove and thereby cause the everthe spud tends .to settle-into'the ground, more load is imposed upon the tractor 'tires and therefore thereis more upward movement of the hoist when the load is'removed therefrom, caus- 54, 55 are disposedwithin tubular extensions 56 ing. an upward notching' of the pawl rnernber 4| on the'rack 49.; The :pivotal action ofthe' shoe 3| ,on its bolt 32,.cau'ses thelshoeto bear substantially with 'uniform'iprssure on the ground:

regardless of the slope of the latter.

When the operator desires 'to move to adifierent location, he merely disconnectsthe latch irom, theglower notch. 10 and 'pulls'thelever 61 backtq theupper notch IELraisin'g the handle; 5|;to its upper position" as shown Fig ures 3 and- 4 ;;While-,this doesnot raise the spud from the ground, the operator is nowiiree' to drive the tractorand movethe hoist either for:-

wardly ,orrearwardly and the shoe 3| will slide. along the ground; -When thegshqe'encouhtersl a bump or. other obstruction onpthe; groundititi is f're to rise to clear such; high spot; but 'theupper'dog "41 will prevent the shoe from dropping the hoist- *4'-.- The combination setforth :in 'c'IaimMB'iincluding the further. 3 provision of: an; operating lever mounted adjacent an: operators position on said frame; and linkage means connected. with said reversing means forcontrollinglthe.lat-1.

to its previous location-, "Flachprotuberance in thesurface of'the g d win his encountered by the shoe w'illcaus' the supportto'benotched upwardly, and the s anaare ao will always be retained'at the highest position to-"whi'ch it is raised.- when the hoi'st reaches-its new location for operation, the operator merely throws the handletl'downwardlyonce more and, without further attention to the spud, begins to operate the hoist, and the spud will again seek its load supporting position as described above.

If the operator desires to raise the spud to its maximum height for purposes of transport over long distances, he can do so by swinging the lever 61 to its upper notch and then pulling the spud upwardly by means of a chain or other flexible member connected to the shoe 3| and extending upwardly over a sheave I6, journaled on a pin H, supported on the housing 43. The chain 15 extends from the sheave 16 through an eyebolt 18, fixed to the frame member 44 and is connected at its outer end to a pin 19 which has a handle 80 at one end thereof. The pin 19 serves as a handle by which to pull the chain 15 and also serves to lock the hoist boom 8| against lateral swinging during transport. The boom 8! is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 82 on a sleeve member 83 encircling the lower portion of the mast 2| and is swung laterally during operation by means of suitable mechanism acting through a cable 84 wrapped around a sheave 85. The boom is locked by inserting the pin 19 downwardly through a suitable aperture 81 in the sheave 85 and through an aligned opening 88 in a lug 86 welded to the frame member 44.

I claim:

1. In a portable hoist, a mobile frame, a retractable support comprising a vertically adjustable standard, a ground engageable shoe having runner means providing for sliding movement of said shoe along the ground, and means for rockably attaching said shoe to the lower end of said standard.

2. In a portable hoist, a mobile frame, a mast supported thereon and ofiset at one side of said frame, a supporting standard telescopically related to said mast and adjustable vertically relative thereto, a ground engageable shoe having runner means providing for sliding movement of said shoe along the ground, and means for rockably attaching said shoe to the lower end of said standard.

3. In a portable hoist, a mobile frame, a mast supported thereon and offset at one side of said frame, a ground support for said mast comprising a standard shiftable vertically relative to said mast, a ground engaging member mounted on said standard and adapted to follow the contour of the ground when the frame advances, oneway clutching means for securing said standard and member against vertical movement in one direction while permitting vertical movement in the opposite direction, and means for optionally reversing the action of said clutching means, whereby during transport said ground support can be retained against dropping downwardly but is free to be moved upward when encountering a high spot in the ground and retained in the higher position, and upon reversal of said clutching means, said ground support can be retained against upward movement but permitted to drop to ground engaging position, thus supporting said mast and movable downwardly relative to said mast as said member settles into soft ground.

ten

5. In a portable: hoist, a mobile frame, aim'ast; supported thereon and offset at one sidegof said,

frame, a ground support for said mast comprising a standard shiftable vertically relative to said mast, a ground engageable shoe rockably mounted on said standard and having upwardly turned runner means adapted to follow the contour of the ground when the frame advances, one-Way clutching means for securing said standard and member against vertical movement in one direction while permitting vertical movement in the opposite direction, and means for optionally reversing the action of said clutching means, whereby during transport said ground support can be retained against dropping downwardly but is free to be moved upward when encountering a high spot in the ground and retained in the higher position, and upon reversal of said clutching means, said ground support can be retained against upward movement but permitted to drop to ground engaging position, thus supporting said mast and movable downwardly relative to said mast as said member settles into soft ground.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5, characterized further in that said one-way clutching means comprises a cooperative rack and pawl device mounted on said support and frame, said pawl being pivotally supported and including opposed dogs engageable with said rack and a control lever for adjusting said pawl to present either of said dogs to engagement with said rack.

7. For use in a portable hoist or the like having a frame, a retractable support comprising a standard shiftable vertically relative to said frame, a ground engageable member mounted on the lower end thereof, a rack on said standard, a pawl member pivotally mounted on said frame and having a pair of opposed dogs adapted to be moved alternatively into engagement with said rack by pivoting said pawl member, a control handle pivotally connected to said member about an axis substantially parallel to said pawl pivot axis, and a pair of springs acting in opposite directions against said handle and anchored to said pawl member. 1

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 including the further provision of a control lever mounted in a remote position adjacent an operators station, means for fixing said lever in ad- J'usted position, and link means connecting said control lever with said pivoted handle to hold the latter in either of two positions whereby said pawl member can be retained to present either dog in engagement with said rack, selectively.

9. In a portable hoist, a mobile frame, a generally vertical mast supported thereon, a ground engageable support for said mast telescopically related thereto and shiftable vertically between ground engaging and transport positions, a flexible member connected to said support and serving as means by which the latter can be raised, a boom supporting member rotatable about the vertical axis of said mast, and a locking element for securing said boom sup pprting member against rotation during transport and attached to the end of said flexible member.

10. For'use in a portable hoist or the like having a frame, a retractable support comprising a,

standard 1;shiftable vertically relative to said tramway ground engageable member mounted on'the-lower end thereof, a rack on said standard,

a; pawh membervzpivotally. mounted on said frame and 'having a pair of-sopposed dogs adapted to be moved alternatively into engagement with said rack by pivoting said pawlv member, a control handl'evpivotally connected to said member about an; axis substantially parallel to said pawl pivot axis, alpair; of springs afitin in; opposite direc-- tionsagainst said handle and anchored to said pawl member; and meansfor securing said han-, dle in positions in which either one or the other;

of ,saidsprings is; compressed to urge the respective dog intorack engaging position. 

